Miss Waugh, who lived in Maida Vale, west London, was reported missing by her family after the last reliable sighting of her on April 16 last year. Witham became involved in the conspiracy nearly three months later when she hired a car from Europcar.

Duncan Atkinson, prosecuting, said: “Although the Crown’s case is that the fraud started the morning after Ms Waugh’s death, there is no evidence to suggest Witham knew anything of that occurrence at the time she participated in the fraud.”

Mr Atkinson added: “She presented to Europcar a passport and a driving licence in the name of Carole Waugh and confirmed that she was Carole Waugh.”

The car was paid for using an American Express account set up three weeks earlier.

“A charge of £550 was placed on the card and Witham, pretending to be Carole Waugh, drove off in the car,” said Mr Atkinson.

Witham was a passenger in the car when it was stopped by police on July 16 and she was arrested two days later. She eventually accepted in interview she knew what she was doing was illegal and had been paid £100 to carry out the fraud. The total bill came to £1,197 as a result of £650 of damage to the car.

Witham’s barrister, Mark Gateley, said she was unemployed with four children and five grandchildren and agreed to take part in the fraud to try to pay £2,000 in rent arrears. “She had no idea about the nature of the fraud or its extent when agreeing to participate in this,” he added. “She said she believed the identity documents were fake given the photographs were markedly different and she had no clue as to their origin. She rebuffed attempts to involve her in further offending.” Witham, of Enfield, north London, but currently living in Birmingham, admitted a single charge of conspiracy to defraud. The prosecution accepted that she was not involved in setting up the account.

Sentencing her to a 12-month community order with a requirement to carry out 140 hours’ unpaid work, Mr Justice Sweeney said: “After the murder of Carole Waugh an American Express card in her name was applied for. Once it had been obtained you, for a fee of £100, and after practising the signature, pretended to be her and used the card to hire a vehicle.

“It has been accepted that you did not know Carole Waugh had been murdered or was dead. You did not know the true background, you have expressed genuine remorse and you have pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

“If it had been the case you knew of … even part of the background, it would be highly likely I would have concluded your case did pass the custody threshold.”